Role models of faith

I am one of those people who usually learns best by other people's examples. When I read the Bible, or a Christian book, it's typically the personal stories of compassion, self-sacrifice or courage that most naturally stick with me. When I see Love in action in humankind, I'm inspired. I get it. I catch a glimpse of what Jesus's life on earth might have looked like, and I'm motivated to work on that character quality in my own life.

Last fall, Brian and I were privileged to meet a family who we will respect and look to as role models for the rest of our lives. They would be embarrassed to be given such attention - but the Lord has already significantly used their example in our lives, and I want to share just a bit of their story with you.

We met Moody and Emily Alexander at an orthodontic meeting in Dallas last November. Moody practices with his dad, Wick, who is a world-renowned orthodontist. Every fall, they sponsor a meeting attended by orthodontists all over the country. It's one of Brian's dad's favorite ortho get-togethers, so he couldn't wait for us to come and meet the Alexander clan.

Moody graduated from Texas Tech, and Emily went to Baylor, so right off the bat, I liked her. :) They have five absolutely beautiful children - Emily homeschools four of them. They are some of the most courteous, well-behaved, engaging kids we have EVER been around.

Over dinner one evening, they shared with us the story of how the Lord brought their fifth child to them, and some of the challenges they were currently facing.

A couple of years ago, after James 1:27 hit home to them ("Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from becoming polluted by the world."), they recognized that the Lord was calling them to adopt. They asked for a baby boy from Ethiopia.

After all of the heaps of paperwork, months of waiting, hours on their knees, they were finally cleared for adoption. Then came the day when they received the first picture of their little boy. First, you must know one important thing: the Alexanders are HUGE Texas Tech fans. Although Emily went to Baylor and will always respect the Bears, she married into a Tech-crazy family, and she, along with all of their children, have quickly grown to love the Raiders.

When they received the picture from the adoption agency, they couldn't believe their eyes. Their little boy was wearing an infant-sized Texas Tech t-shirt. Of course, no one at the agency knew of their affinity for Tech. This was providentially arranged - a small (yet huge!) sign to assure them that this little boy was meant to be theirs.

The whole family travelled to Ethiopia to pick Abe up. They took a photographer along to capture their first meeting, and you've got to watch this amazing slideshow of that special time (which was a year ago today). Make sure your volume is on and have your kleenex ready! BUT FIRST, keep reading.

A few months after bringing him home, they began to notice that things weren't quite right with Abe. To make a painful story very short: they discovered that Abe has severe brain abnormalities and neurological problems. Doctors gave them little to no hope for any positive developments.

Yet, they have persevered this last year through prayer, faith, and a lot of physical therapy, and Abe is steadily progressing. He's already accomplished things that the doctors didn't believe possible. They continue to trust in the Great Physician daily, and they have great hope for their son's future.

The Alexanders are head over heels for their newest family member and they are on track to adopt again, very soon, from Ethiopia. We admire so many things about they way they do life, and we're sure we'll be looking to them as role models for a very long time. Hope you are blessed by their story today. (Explore their blog for more details on the past year - I boiled their story down to the very bare minimum!) Happy Abe day!